Page 489 - Jarvis & Wright: Jamaica Display to RPSL

Maritime Jamaica: Crashes and Wrecks.

The Haughton River Crash, 1890.

In February 1890 a bag of post for the USA, Britain and other destinations via New York was
assembled in Kingston to connect at Port Maria with the S.S. Bergenseren. The Bergenseren was a
Norwegian vessel of 666 tons launched in 1884, used in the Caribbean fruit trade.

The post left Kingston on the afternoon of Tuesday 18 February 1890, carried with the internal post
30 miles across the island to the north coast at Annotto Bay, where it was due to arrive at 11.35pm.
At Annotto Bay local post was exchanged and the combined load set out in the night for Port Maria,
where it was due at 4.30am on Wednesday 19 February. At the Haughton River, four miles out of
Annotto Bay, the mail cart was swept away. The mules were drowned, the cart broken and the mail
bags lost, but the postman survived to go for help.

An officer from Kingston and Sergeant-Major Allen of the constabulary recovered the bag of mail for
New York, containing 1,000 letters and 35 registered letters, from the river. The bag was returned to
Kingston, and, although it had been submerged for nearly 24 hours, the post in it was in good
condition. The postmaster, Fred Sullivan, had a label printed, probably by the Jamaica Government
printer, that was affixed to the back of each cover to explain the delay and any damage. The post
was then sent off to New York for the second time on 24 February.

Cover from
Spanish
Town to the USA.

4d single rate.

Per SS
Bergenseren
18/2/90.

Spanish Town:
A76;
datestamp
obscured by
label, probably
18 February 90.

Kingston:
21 February 90
label;
24 February 90,
on top of label,
after return to
Kingston.

New York:
6 March 90.